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Population | Ann.Gr. | Density | |
2000 | 4,023,422 | +2.51% | 79 per sq. km. |
2010 | 4,856,685 | +1.75% | 95 per sq. km. |
2025 | 5,928,508 | +1.18% | 116 per sq. km. |
Capital San José 1,063,000. Urbanites 44%.
Spanish-speaking 94.8%. Caucasian 3.2 million; Mestizo 300,000.
English-speaking 2.5%. Afro-Caribbean 120,000.
Amerindian 0.7%. Eight peoples, only four still use their indigenous languages: Bribri 7,700; Cabecar 10,700; Guaymi 1,900; Maleku 500.
Other 2%. Chinese(4) 66,000; Europeans 23,000.
Refugees More than 600,000 Nicaraguans resident or working in Costa Rica.
Literacy 93%. Official language Spanish. English and Mekitelyu spoken on Caribbean coast. All languages 10. Languages with Scriptures 2Bi 5NT 6por.
Decline between 1979-88, some recovery since then but 20% still live in deep poverty. Main exports are bananas, coffee and textiles. Tourism is also important. A leading country for ecological conservation. Unemployment 6.2%. HDI 0.801; 45th/174. Public debt 30.6% of GNP. Income/person $2,640 (8.5% of USA).
Independent of Spain in 1821. A long history of stable, multi-party democratic government. Costa Rica has exercised a stabilizing influence in the conflicts of surrounding lands.
Roman Catholicism is the official state religion and all limitations on the free exercise of other religions are illegal, but in practice other religions are not yet equal before the law.
Religions | Population % | Adherents | Ann.Gr. |
Christian | 94.70 | 3,810,181 | +2.4% |
Chinese | 2.24 | 90,125 | +5.9% |
non-Religious/other | 1.73 | 69,605 | +3.5% |
Traditional ethnic | 0.83 | 33,394 | +6.1% |
Baha'i | 0.29 | 11,668 | +2.5% |
Jewish | 0.11 | 4,426 | +4.5% |
Buddhist | 0.10 | 4,023 | +2.5% |
Trans-blocGroupings | pop.% | ,000 | Ann.Gr. |
Evangelical | 12.4 | 500 | +10.3% |
Charismatic | 18.6 | 750 | +6.0% |
Pentecostal | 7.0 | 281 | +13.2% |
Missionaries from Costa Rica
P,I,A 331 in 32 agencies to 27 countries: Costa Rica 120, Middle East 30, USA 20, Mali 18.
Missionaries to Costa Rica
P,I,A 433 in 73 agencies from 20 countries: USA 342, Canada 20.
1 Between 1970 and 1988 there was dramatic growth of Evangelicals from 3% to 11%. After problems, growth has resumed – some reckon 16% to be Evangelicals. From this revival was birthed one of Latin America's most effective foreign missions advance.
1 The tragic and sudden halt to evangelical church growth in 1988 led to a decade of little progress. There are now numerous unattached Evangelicals (6% of the population) and many more ex-Evangelicals who have returned to the Catholic Church, turned to sects or given up on Christianity. The causes need to be turned into prayer fuel.
a) Denominational rivalry and acrimonious divisions disillusioned many. Pray for love, humility and oneness in the Spirit to characterize the leadership in churches.
b) Inflexible sub-cultures and petty legalisms discouraged many new Christians and seekers. Pray for revival.
c) Secularism, materialism, post-modern and New Age mindsets are sapping the vitality of urban congregations.
d) The moral failure of evangelical leaders – both internationally known US televangelists and Costa Rican pastors. The challenge is to restore both holy living and credibility to the cause of Christ.
2 The Roman Catholic Church has been deeply impacted by charismatic renewal. Many came to a living, personal faith in Christ. On the one hand, attendance at mass and the number of indigenous seminarians and priests has increased. On the other hand large numbers left the Church for evangelical groups. Pray that charismatic Catholics may be able to inject greater spirituality through their 're-evangelization' programme. The great majority of Costa Ricans remain very nominal in their faith and in spiritual need – immorality, alcoholism and spiritist practices are widespread.
a) Increased cooperative efforts for outreach and mission despite lingering hesitations on the part of some Evangelicals. The Costa Rican Evangelical Alliance, representing the majority of denominations has initiated a programme 'Costa Rica Century XXI' for promoting the development of churches at every level. Pray for a cutting edge to this vision, and for the leaders of this ambitious programme.
b) Improved leadership training. There are 26 Bible schools and seminaries and an extensive TEE programme. IMDELA (Missiological Institute of the Americas) has opened a residential and extension programme in missions. Pray that there might be a new generation of godly, effective leaders for the churches that will commend the gospel.
4 Special evangelistic challenges:
a) Students have proved less responsive to the gospel, and drug addiction has become a serious problem. Christian student leadership has been weak in the past. There is a growing national student movement linked with ECU(IFES), Alfa y Omega (CCCI), Maranatha (a Pentecostal student work) and others.
b) All Amerindian tribes are being evangelized but most are either nominally Catholic or animist. There is, however, a vocal, syncretistic, indigenous church among the Cabécar, and evangelical missionary input to the Boruca, Bribri, Guaymi and Maleku. Pray that truly indigenous churches using their mother tongues may be established.
c) Chinese have increased in numbers, many immigrating from Taiwan and mainland China. Some have become Catholic, and there are now a few Evangelicals in three small groups. The Chinese Christian Mission started a work among them in 1985. Pray that cultural and spiritual barriers to faith may be broken down and churches multiply among them.
d) The Mekitelyu Afro-Caribbean community on the Caribbean coast is nominally Protestant, but few people have a vital, life-affecting faith in Christ. Pray for ongoing evangelistic campaigns and that these may result in Mekitelyu-speaking congregations.
e) Muslim immigrants are few, but increasing. Mainly Arab, Iranian and South Asian.
5 The Federation of Evangelical Missions of Costa Rica has become a shining example of God's grace in envisioning the Church for world evangelization. Alcance 2000 was a vision to mobilize 12,000 prayer warriors, target 50 unreached peoples around the world and send out 500 cross-cultural missionaries. Over eight years the number of Costa Rican missionaries doubled to more than 260 in 1997. Pray for the growth and maturity of this movement.
6 Missions. The largest agencies are LAM (81), IMB-SBC (36), AoG (31), YWAM (28), CoN (26), CRWM (19), CAM (19). The stability of the country has made this a good base for many regional and global ministries. Pray for cooperation and close fellowship between agencies, as there is a frustrating duplication of effort and a dominance of North Americans in many supportive agencies. Visas are becoming more difficult to obtain.
a) Radio and TV. There are four Christian radio and two TV stations; other secular stations air Christian programmes. Pray that efforts to restrict this ministry may fail. Also pray that broadcasts may lead to conversion among the unsaved and growth among the Christians.
b) LAM's 'Christ for the City' vision. This has resulted in short-term team ministry abroad, and in child care clinics and outreach to shanty towns at home.
c) The Bible Society. Demand for Scriptures is strong and growing. Pray that no opposition may succeed in preventing the distribution of Scriptures.
d) The Spanish Language Institute where many missionaries learn Spanish. Pray for staff and missionary students.
Web links for Costa Rica
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CIA World Factbook (https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/cs.html) | |
Country profile, with only very brief information on religion or society. | |
Brief, largely statistical information on geography, people, government, economy, and more. | |
Costa Rica Internet Directory (http://www.arweb.com/cr) | |
A general Web guide. | |
Costa Rica YellowWeb (http://www.yellowweb.co.cr) | |
An extensive Web guide with cultural information as well as commercial. |
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